Rust Empire (Check them out)

LISTEN TO THE MUSIC DIRECTLY HERE!

To start with, this link is an advertisement to the band only. There is no download link. I have chosen to include Rust Empire in this blog due to the fact it contains Shane Durgee as one of the band members. Shane used to play in Framework (who later became Earth Crisis when Shane left and the band reformed with Karl taking over vocal duties from originally being the bassist), Gatekeeper and Uprising (who later became Green Rage), which were all early '90s, vegan straight-edge, chugging hardcore / metal bands. 

Information on Rust Empire, taken from their Facebook page, which can be seen HERE is: 

"Rust Empire began in the summer of 2010 with five old hats from pre/present/post-hardcore, punk, jazz, funk, rock and stoner doom bands. It’s an unlikely grouping of gents that surprises everyone who knows them, but they make loud music. What else really matters?"

A few days ago, in 2011, Shane Durgee and I had a conversation via Facebook (the thrills of the  ease of Internet based sociability), he linked me to this band with the words "We're kind of like Quicksand" (who features Walter Schreifels of Gorilla Biscuits, Project X, Youth Of Today and more recently Rival Schools). To me they sound more like "Far - Tin Cans With String To You" album, or Unsane, without all the effects on the vocals and guitar. It's garage alternative punk rock by older guys who want to show they can still have fun and play decent music.

I've chosen to add them to this blog due to the fact it's two decades later and although Shane Durgee and co are no longer hardline, vegan straight-edge guys... although Shane tells me he is still Vegan, good on him, they are still capable of rocking out.

If you like it, you like it, if you don't, you don't. 

Open Wide - Discography

Open Wide were a Japanese Youth Crew Hardcore band. The band featured members of former bands, such as Spitfast! and Anticipation. This discography contains 13 tracks, one of which is an introduction, 8 of which are written, originally by the band and 4 of which are covers of the following bands: Building, Rancor, Bold & Mainstrike, in a total running of just over 22 minutes. This discography CD-R was a split release by three labels: Kawaii Records (France), Legion Productions (USA) and World's Appreciated Kitsch Records (Greece), in 2008. The cover art was done by DJ Criminal Designs.




DOWNLOAD HERE!

(This download also contains a scan of the full insert, including lyrics).

Trial - Live audio footage from the V-Club, St Petersburg, Russia [14-10-2011]

(I don't know how to make this image smaller).

Trial are an immensely passionate band from Seattle, Washington, USA. They formed in 1994 with the aim to spread messages of social change, awareness of world suffering and self-belief. Lyrics tackled ideas and dealt with concepts such as political and social issues, survival and suffering. The band could not be pinpointed, they were certainly a mid 90s hardcore band, however in the past they have been classed as a straight-edge band, a political band and others, you can't tie them to a certain sub-genre, or classification of a type of hardcore band. They have been extremely influential over the years and to my knowledge there are two bands with names directly linked to Trial, both of these bands are called Unrestrained, one is from Burlington, Vermont the other is from Portland, Oregon.

Trial recorded 3 main releases, Through The Darkest Days (1996), Foundation EP (1997) and Are These Our Lives? (1999), there are other releases which I'm not so sure about the release dates of, or information on, these include Turn Away LP, I'm Still Screaming! Live 7" and Trial - Self-Titled 10". After this time, they slowed as a band to concentrate on other areas of life and other bands.

Members of trial have accumulated a wealth of musical experience. Throughout the years they also played in, in the past or are currently playing in or have filled in for Wait In Vain, Between Earth And Sky, Champion, Sinking Ships, Love Is Red, Breag Naofa, Les Gants, Run With The Hunted, Three Inches Of Blood, Walls Of Jericho, Catharsis and (thanks to Greg) Prong, Otis Reem, Biodegradable Grandmother, Brutally Familiar and The Pist. Having these experiences over the past 20 years means that currently Trial are one of the most exciting hardcore bands to catch live these days.

I was lucky enough to catch them at one of a few rare shows they played, since around 1999, at Fluff Fest 2009, in Rokycany, Czech Republic, they blew everybody away, it was after this show that Brian Redman, the original bassist, tragically passed away in a motorcycle accident, which left the band not wanting to carry on playing. However, they later came to realise the brilliance of Trial, the influence the band has on people's lives and in memory of Brian, they decided to do a few tours, in 2011.

I was fortunate enough to make it to the show on 4th, October, 2011 in Le Pub, Newport, Wales where there was a capacity of 100 people only, due to the size of the venue. It went off, the show was nuts, I hopped around like I was on a space hopper on the moon as I can't do all those fashionable dances. Here are the full dates for that tour with Anchor and Run With The Hunted:

(I don't know how to make the image even smaller).

For this tour Drew, the vocalist of Run With The Hunted played 2nd guitar and Roger Killburn (of Sinking Ships, Wait In Vain and Love Is Red) is now the permanent bassist of Trial.

In their lives separate from the band Timm, runs Panic! Records and is also in Wait In Vain, Greg set up One Hundred For Haiti campaign and does Spoken Word performances and motivational speeches here and is in Between Earth And Sky, Roger plays in a new band called Breag Naofa and Alexei is in 100+ bands and I don't have so much information on him.

Anyway, enough of my rambling on, here is what you came to download, the live audio footage of the Trial set from V-Club, St Petersburg, Russia [10-14-2011].

DOWNLOAD HERE!

Brutally Familiar - Brutally Familiar [Extremely rare demo track]

Brutally Familiar was a fast hardcore/punk band including Greg Bennick, known mostly for his vocals in Trial (and plenty of other bands). As far as Greg and I are aware there is very little information on this band available online, Trial formed in 1994, this track was recorded in 1991, in Greg's own words:

"In 1991, I went home to Connecticut for two weeks to hang out with my friends. We formed two bands: Brutally Familiar and The Pist, and recorded a five song demo for Brutally Familiar and played the first Pist show around the same time. This song is from the Brutally Familiar self titled demo."

Here are the lyrics:

"Remember me?

Way back then some years ago

We'd see each other at the shows

Not afraid to talk and smile

Be ourselves - hang out awhile

Well you're still you and I'm still me

So ask yourself why this must be

That those days are just in the past

And now you're out to kick some ass

Ask yourself why

Ask yourself why

Ask yourself why

I don't know

I don't know

I don't know

Stop and ask yourself this question

Is this all your own aggression?

If its not from your own heart, think real hard:

When did it fucking start?

We are Brutally Familiar

We are Brutally Familiar

We are Brutally Familiar"

Greg only has this one song digitised and therefore I can only post this one song but for any Trial nerds it's probably interesting, there is no demo artwork available online, so here is a live photograph.

DOWNLOAD HERE!

(This download contains one track).

Edit: I've linked the band's Myspace page to here also, as it turns out some of the songs are online already, however they still go somewhat unheard and unknown about, so enjoy them.

New Winds - Reunion Video, 10/12/2011

New Winds were a vegan straight-edge band from Lisbon, Portugal. They played melodic, sing-a-long hardcore punk, similar to a blend of 7 Seconds, Insted and Bold and had politically charged lyrics. They formed around 1997 and stopped being a band around 2007.

I was sifting through Facebook as people generally do these days and stumbled across Rafael Madeira's page (band member of Critical Point, Pressure and previously of Broken Distance), he had this video posted of a New Winds reunion show, which took place two days ago at Revolver Bar, Portugal (10-12-2011).

I don't know If I've been living under a rock, or if this show wasn't well publicised to people outside of Portugal but it made me happy to see and incase you like New Winds and haven't seen this reunion video, it may also make you happy, so here it is:

NEW WINDS Reunion Show @ Revolver Bar (10-12-2011) from JUICY TV on Vimeo.

(This video was shot by Fábio Gonçalves).

Pain Runs Deep - Pain Runs Deep

Pain Runs Deep were a drug free vegan band from Poland. They played metallic hardcore. This EP was released on Screams Of Salvation Records, New Ferry, UK in 1999. An interesting thing about this band is that although on this EP none of the lyrics are direct to Krishna Consciousness, they give thanks to the Bhagavatam (30 book volumes of which the Bhagavad Gita is derived). This EP contains 6 tracks, one of which is an introduction. The lyrics are based around environmental justice, animal liberation and a will to change the western world. The vocalist of Pain Runs Deep is now doing vocals in Inherit (previously mentioned in x The Break In x post), in 2011. Still vegan, still straight-edge, so you can tell this music is for real.

DOWNLOAD HERE!

(This download also contains a scan of the full CD booklet, the words are deliberately unclear to read).

El Arma Es La Palabra - Esclavos Del Tiempo

My friend Abraham, or Gove is a vegan straight-edge guy from Monterry, Mexico. I've seen in several places online he has posted the free download of his current bands' new EP. El Arma Es La Palabra are a vegan straight-edge band and play mid '90s hardcore style jams, in the modern day. Mexico has a decent scene, other bands from the same scene include

Libérate

, xAlguna Ves Fui Ciegox, Locus De Control and many others which I am forgetting right now. All of which are great at what they do. I thought I'd take the chance to promote Southern American Vegan Straight-Edge when the chance arises. Here is that chance, enjoy the EP.

DOWNLOAD HERE!

(This was taken from a source other than my CD collection, I do not know what is included with the download, if anything).